Panelling for City Girl Network

One day I was typing away on my computer, my usual space of work; replying to emails, booking new clients and throwing together artwork for an event of some sort. When I got an email through from Brighton City Girl Networks’ Pippa Moyle.

She told me how she had been following my career; the projects I had been running and “It would be a true honour to have you on our panel” to talk about my experiences.

“The event is part of a wider campaign around connecting and empowering women in the creative economy. […] We’ll be discussing closing the gender pay gap in the creative economy, as well as skills development and creative tools for progressing and future-proofing careers.

What do you think?”

I was delighted! Another milestone is what I thought!

As the panel was announced online, I was happy to see that I would be joined by fellow Black Brighton Market vendor Susanna Amoah. As I scrolled through the Brighton Girl Network Instagram, I saw that they had awards open for nominations, I had submitted my work into open calls a dozen times in the past, but never nominated myself for an award, and there was a category for Brighton Girl of the Year.. I wanted it! So I put myself up for nomination, it couldn’t hurt, and with the panel work I was doing with them, it tied in nicely to then potentially getting voted by an even wider community if I did get nominated…

As the day to panel arrived, I got my most professional, yet creative a la mode on. Taking the brisk autumn walk to Platf9rm Hove, arriving as doors opened, I was greeted by Pippa herself. Not wanting to get close as she was unwell, she took me to meet the other panellist – Katy Thompson; head of UK Marketing at MPB, Susuanna Amoah; Interim Co-Director & Curator at ONCA and PHD researcher into decolonial praxis in public contemporary art galleries. And Sophie Denny; Theatre Director at Theatre Royal Brighton. Alongside Roisin Skinner; events and training manager, who would be now taking Pippa’s place in hosting the evening. Working woman of our status can’t be getting sick now ey.

As I sat in the “green room” around these like-minded woman, I felt strangely un-nervous, I wouldn’t say I felt particularly confident, but for the first in a while, I didn’t have my usual stage-fright. I knew what I had to talk about, and that was my experience; my tools, my advice, I just had to take my time and make sure I give as much and the best I could. Pippa had sent us the questions a few days prior, but I hadn’t properly acknowledged what it was when it came in, I know that’s not me, I’ve also been on some personal journeys recently too, I’m not allll about work 😉

So there we sat, in a woman’s semi circle, out to the audience, who were there to hear about our experiences and ask those hypnogogic thoughts. I learnt a lot, a lot about other women’s experience, some tips I will definitely be following up on, but I also learnt a lot about myself. Doing the work I do, I created, I work with a lot of people, but rarely do I have to swing to the beat of their drum. My mum used to always say that I lived in ‘Jade’s World’ and never did that feel so poignant then it did as I revisited the last few years of my career with that mic in my hand. Shinning a light on how you can trade skills over money, how I don’t have a pay gap issue because 95% of people who I exchange money over skill with are women. How I’m still working on how to charge for my services and how I allot myself time for respite and self-growth.

This opportunity not only gave me the chance to share some of my “Jack of all Trades-Secrets” but it allowed me to take a step back and look at what I had done from a distance, to see a perspective of myself and my career in a light I had not yet seen it in. I felt really proud of myself.

The evening went by beautifully, everyone was really involved in everything that was being said, the questions from the audience were really apt for everyone, Roisin did great having to take-over at short notice, it was as if it was all planned by women 😉

And I’m delighted to say, that I was shortlisted for Brighton Girl of the Year (sponsored by Velvet) as well as having the fantastic surprise of having Black Brighton Market shortlisted for Brighton Girl Community of the Year (sponsored by Nostos). Votes are currently open which you can DO HERE (they will close on the 30th of November). Winners will be announced at the Brighton Girl Christmas Party (purchase tickets here) on the 1st of December at Platf9rm Hove.